At the end of March the Samaritan Fund made a significant donation to an Emergency Appeal by the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help relieve the current humanitarian crisis in Syria. This is in addition to the donation made in January to the UNICEF emergency appeal for children in Syria. The DEC appeal provides a grim summary of life in that troubled country:
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| Map of the autonomous areas under the French Mandate of Syria before 1937. Only the entities within the territory of the modern state of Syria are shown, so that Hatay (Alexandretta) -- which was ceded by France to Turkey -- and Lebanon (often considered part of Syria before 1936) are excluded. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Two years of war have had a devastating impact on many Syrian families and have left more than four million people in need of aid. In many parts of the country the health system has effectively collapsed, water supplies have been cut and food is in short supply. In addition, over one million people have now fled to the neighbouring countries of
Jordan,
Lebanon,
Turkey and Iraq. Refugees are arriving at camps which are already stretched to capacity, and many families are living in crude shelters they have built themselves, with host families in overcrowded conditions, or in partially finished buildings.
The Samaritan Fund is also able to forward donations from ecclesias and brethren and sisters wishing to support this appeal. Donations should be sent to our Treasurer, Brother Ken Smith, Westhaven House, Arleston Way,
Shirley, Solihull,
West Mids., B90 4LH, with a note earmarking it for the DEC Crisis Appeal for Syria.
Neville Moss (Secretary Samaritan Fund)
